Sony sez "no change" to PlayStation 3 launch date

Sony, godluv'em. Analysts have been noting for months that Sony's hope to launch the PlayStation 3 console this Spring with that new Cell processor and Blu-ray disc is, well, just a bit too aggressive. Six to twelve months too aggressive according to that Merrill Lynch research note detailing the $900 $800 PlayStation 3 per unit manufacturing cost. Yet despite Merill Lynch downgrading Sony to "sell" this morning, Sony remains optimistic once again stating that "there is no change in our original plan to release the console in spring 2006." However, they do concede that they are waiting for the final specifications related to both the PS3's Blu-ray drive and for input and output of video and sound. Yeah, Ok Sony. We're not gonna say told you so come June. No, really.

[Thanks, YM]

[Shade @ Feb 20th 2006 9:15AM]

I hope and feel that this means that we'll definitely be seeing the PS3 this year in the US.

[Jon @ Feb 20th 2006 9:18AM]

funny, you joke about typos that others make and then make one yourself.

[youngsir @ Feb 20th 2006 9:24AM]

spring 2006 eh? thats highly optimistic. i'll believe it when i see it

[Eric @ Feb 20th 2006 9:26AM]

They're still waiting for the final Blu-Ray specs and they expect to ship in June? That's only 3 months from now. How do they expect to ramp up production that fast?

[EZBAKE @ Feb 20th 2006 9:28AM]

I know several people that are working on the commercials for the PS3 and they haven't even begun to shoot anything yet. They're still trying to decide on a direction. So, to launch in the spring would be insane. Sure, no ads and we'll just launch anyway. Then again, my friends don't even know when it's launching...they're just assuming Fall 06 because of the timetable they're working with.

[Ian Jardine @ Feb 20th 2006 9:43AM]

Great publicity for the PS3 now every buyer will believe he is getting extra special value.
You have got to believe that Sony and IBM long new the development and production costs of this CPU so they had a price agreed long long ago. I personally doubt it will ship with the good DVD player this will be an add on.

[Jason @ Feb 20th 2006 9:47AM]

Nvidia supposedly said thay they aren't going to allow sony to put their GPU into the PS3 until the summer because they will not be recieving any royalties for the units sold in spring. Found it on www.digg.com if you want to find the article. Seems very skeptical to me and maybe like Sony is just trying to make it seem sooner so people will not be so eager to purchase a 360 and just continue saving for a PS3. That would be mean. Oh well gotta love speculation but if the quote from Nvidia is true there is no way we're going to be seeing these bad boys in the spring fiscal year for sure.

[Alex @ Feb 20th 2006 10:06AM]

hey,

They didn't say it wouldn't be $900, uh oh

[Ryan @ Feb 20th 2006 10:42AM]

The FACT is that Sony has to have this thing released before Christmas this year. There is no way that they can afford to let XBOX 360 get a two holiday season jump and HD-DVD get a one holiday season jump. It WILL be out between spring and November, in limited quantities, and at a high price tag. Forget any 2007 crap you read anywhere.

[Kamalot @ Feb 20th 2006 10:44AM]

This is reality distortion at its finest. Sony says 'Spring' to keep you from buying a 360.

Sony is SCARED!

[Steve @ Feb 20th 2006 11:12AM]

I have a unrelated question... I've considered purchasing an upconvert dvd player, however, I've heard the PS3 will still play dvd's. My question is will the PS3 upconvert since it will be hooked up through HD.
I understand nobody can really anwser for sure but I'm curious what you all think... If it will upconvert?

[Tadioku @ Feb 20th 2006 12:00PM]

you guys are crazy Sony can sure make the launch they are already making cell ships pretty fast and its the same for the RSX card they only need the design for the PS3 and thats just plastic.

[Jeff @ Feb 20th 2006 12:44PM]

"I know several people that are working on the commercials for the PS3 and they haven't even begun to shoot anything yet. They're still trying to decide on a direction. So, to launch in the spring would be insane."

In JAPAN. Are the people you know in Japan? Didn't think so.

Listen, people. The PS3 is DONE. They are waiting on the AACS specs for the Blu-Ray drive. That's *it*. That may hold the system up, or it may get resolved next week for all we know. Once it's resolved, production starts. Sony has literally just been sitting on their hands waiting for this managed-copy thing to get worked out - I'll bet they've all got ants-in-the-pants syndrome right now wondering when the hell they're gonna finally get that call telling them that they can start production.

And if you must know, this is the real reason there's no HD-DVD drive in the Xbox 360. DRM strikes again, showing that the only thing it's good for is screwing consumers.

[Todd Lokken @ Feb 20th 2006 1:12PM]

Now...I wouldn't put it past Sony to use the Microsoft marketing concept by driving up high demand with the limited-release strategy. Say they release in the spring...they don't need to release millions at once to hit the date. And, by limiting the release, they definitely can generate a lot of demand.

[sinisterdesign @ Feb 20th 2006 1:41PM]

has anyone seen a hypothetical list of release titles? i'm a current Xbox owner. i haven't had time to play games lately, so i haven't bought a 360, but i'm on a wait & see approach to the PS3. the movies i've watched look amazing, but the console is ugly, the controller looks uncomfortable & if they make a spring (or summer) launch i'll be amazed.

[Slayermayer @ Feb 20th 2006 2:20PM]

I have a pretty strong feeling that we can expect Sony to host a launch that is similar to that of the Xbox 360. The system will launch in the fall due to low production rates of the cell and rsx chips (both have not reached mass production just yet). Considering the fact that at this relative point in the Xbox 360 launch Microsoft had already begun to admit shortages and initial production numbers, makes me skeptical of Sony's Spring 06 launch related statements. There was an artical released stating that only one developer in America had been given a PS3 dev kit while 4 were given to Japanese developers. These numbers seem to suggest a slow manufacturing process for the machines which in turn suggests a late launch. If they try to rush the launch (which if they launch in Spring, the systems WILL be rushed) the games will lack the punch needed to compete with the 2nd generation and 3rd generation 360 games. Also, Sony will eat their own insults they dealt Microsoft during the 360 launch. The system will not have great games at launch and the amount of defects at launch will bring back familiar memories to many. If Sony wants to avoid all of this then they need to play it safe and delay their launch until the product is ready. I honestly feel that the machine is not ready for launch until blu-ray players are in circulation for consumers. Once the blu-ray players are in the market the PS3 can gain some ground by supporting the media discs, but if Sony launches before the players arrive to consumers the PS3 blu-ray drive won't be such a strong attribute for the console. The only reason the PS2 did so well is because DVDs had been on the market for consumers when it launched. People had a reason to buy the system other than just games. It's beginning to look like the 1st HD-DVD player has given Blu-ray a fight considering that the 30GB to 54GB space gap now has shrunk to 50GB to 54GB. If Blu-ray does lose the format war, then the PS3 will suffer. One of the strongest aspects of the machine will be useless, which once again, is why Sony needs to wait for the players to hit the market.

[Skan @ Feb 20th 2006 3:19PM]

Don�t forget about the most important piece of the puzzle. It's called "GAMES" Where is all the real game footage and not just the same pre rendered videos that they keep playing over and over like old M.A.S.H reruns. Even if the PS3 comes out by June there won't be any games for it. How are you going to release launch titles in three months that can't even run on the PS3 hardware yet. Sorry, I like Sony but even I can see that we are in for a long, long wait. What ever $$$ you kiddies are saving up you might as well just go get a 360 to hold you over until next Christmas but that�s if the PS3 is even out by then. Oh and that�s assuming you can even find a 360. I�m going to just nickname the 360 "Nessie" cause people have claimed to see it, and there have been sightings at stores but they have never been able to actually capture one. =O)

[Jeff @ Feb 20th 2006 4:05PM]

Jeff - how do you know the PS3 is done? Have you seen one - do you work for Sony? Have you touched it.

Sony is the master at vaporware (software and hardware).

It's not done, developers are working on alpha kits.

[Jeff @ Feb 20th 2006 4:16PM]

From a cnn article

Game development for the PS3 is also seen being delayed because the technology specifications have not been finalized.

"Game makers are developing games according to their guesses on what the final specifications might be," said Takeshi Tajima, a BNP Paribas analyst.


Dude - you are pwned!

here is the article

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/02/20/sony.playstation.reut/index.html

[Jolly*Jester @ Feb 20th 2006 5:15PM]

That article doesnt say anything about the console being done, infact it says that they are waiting on final specs. Games being designed on what they think they will be???? Sounds like some bad 1st Gen games are going to be hitting PS3

[Ran @ Feb 20th 2006 5:41PM]

Sounds to me like they are pulling a Sega Saturn.
Here's the console with no games and no advertising, buy it now!

[Krono6 @ Feb 20th 2006 6:32PM]

No games?! No advertising?! And a GPU that magically enters the PS3 in time?! MUST BUY :o

[Slow News Day @ Feb 20th 2006 7:42PM]

If Sony says Spring, but doesn't launch in Spring, the stock will surly take a hit. Also, there'll be a lot of upset customers.

[Titus W @ Feb 20th 2006 9:06PM]

They are not working on no damn final speci Blu-ray is trying to get more company to back them up. They're having meeting right now as we speak at the disneyland hotel with disney executives, and they won't answer any of my questions. I hate working at the Hotel and they have meeting like these because I really want to ease drop on them.

[thanggnguyen @ Feb 20th 2006 9:43PM]

This is classic vaporware. All the signs are there. Lots of talk but not real products, little new information of the PS3 since E3, and unfinalized Blue-ray standard are just some of convincing factors that raise doubts of the possibility of a Spring launch. If Sony plans to release the PS3 in Japan this Spring, as the company still maintains, wouldn't the comglomorate detail plans to accomplish that by now. End of Spring is about three months away, not enough time for retailers to ready promotion activities for a big product launch like the PS3. When it does launch, I predict the PS3 will retail for at least $499.

[Thill @ Feb 20th 2006 10:58PM]

Makes me glad that I bought a 360 since it appears it will be the only next gen console on the market until at least Thanksgiving/Christmas..

I think that Sony tried to do too much with the PS3 and now they have to wait on hardware issues to resolve..

Sony as a company is in trouble right now. They have been relying on the PS2 to carry the company financially due to lackluster products. They got CRUSHED by Apple in the music player/software/store business, their PC's are money losers, they were slow to realize the potential with LCD/plasma TV's, etc..

They NEED the PS3 to be the dominate console and if Xbox gains marketshare, Sony will be in trouble... If the PS3 is not released soon, the Xbox 360 will have a huge lead and will have many more games available. There are some tremendous 360 game releases over the next month or two and I think that if the PS3 is not released in Spring you will see many people get tired of waiting and will want to play next gen games now...

[Bunji @ Feb 21st 2006 12:35AM]

We are eager to own that monster console this spring...

[Jon @ Feb 21st 2006 1:48AM]

I preordered my 360 with Gamestop just after last years E3 6 months before the launch of the 360.

Gamestop is not yet taking preorders for the PS3. I feel sorry for the chumps that bought the lies of Sony at E3 almost a year ago and have held off purchasing a 360 in the meantime.

Tommorrow Fight Night Round 3 comes out for the 360. Turns out that was the only real game that Sony was showing off at E3 for the PS3! Ha! It's on the 360 before the PS3 even exist.

Releases In March for the 360:
---------------------------
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
The Outfit
BurnOut Revenge
BattleField 2
Elder Scrolls Oblivion
Far Cry Instincts

Releases In April:
----------------------
Top Spin2
Final Fantaxy XI Online
Tomb Raider: Legend

If anyone is foolish enough to continue convincing themselves that the 360 doesn't have good games after looking at just the March lineup alone...you must be crazy.
And all of these games except for Tomb Raider and Oblivion have extensive Xbox Live elements. What you Sony fans have yet to figure out is that online play extends the value of a title by like 10 fold! You pay $50 for a 12 hr game...while Live players pay $50 for hours upon hours of extended play with the best AI ever...a human being!

Do yourself a favor...purchase those 6 March release games...it will run you about $400 bucks after tax which is far better spent than PS3 hardware which doesn't even exist yet.

[bleach @ Feb 21st 2006 8:22AM]

to Jon:

Why should i buy a 360 if NONE of the games interest me. I and many others are waiting for the ps3, not just because of next gen graphics, but for exclusive titles like metal gear solid 4, devil may cry 4. So you can take your 360 and shove it. I'm tired of people saying we should just buy the 360 for no reason at all except that it is a next gen system. What idioticy. right now the 360 is channelling the original xbox and if people, including me, were not a fan of the original xbox then the 360 isnt as appealling as waiting for the ps3, which is the system we want because of the games it will offer.

[Thill @ Feb 21st 2006 10:38AM]

#26

I think what Jon (#25) was trying to say is that one of the knocks on the 360 has been the game titles that have been published to date. Jon's point was that the titles are coming and over the next two months there are great games being released that are not just sports games or first person shooters (although those tend to be my favorite game).

Nobody blames you for waiting for the PS3 to be released before you buy, but there are many people (myself included)who have become very frustrated with Sony's speculation, secrecy, and yes, lies regarding the PS3. After playing the 360 a few times, I bought one (I paid retail at Best Buy for the premium system). Personally, I am glad that I did and this story makes me feel even more sure that I did the right thing. By the time the PS3 finally comes out, the 360 will have a commanding lead in the number of next generation consoles sold, as well as available games which tap into the true potential of these next gen consoles. As good as Call of Duty and PGR3 are, I'll bet the upcoming games will look even better and be more refined..

One of the big reasons that Sony had such a commanding lead over the Xbox in sales was due to its time to market, and abundance of games. I think Microsoft took a page out of Sony's book and are trying to beat them at their own game.

Sony has a serious problem on their hands if they do not get the PS3 released soon at a similar price point as the 360. I think this years upcoming holiday season will show who will most likely win the next gen battle.... I just hope the PS3 is ready and (available) by then....

[Bubba @ Feb 21st 2006 10:43AM]

Wow then I really feel sorry for you. You are waiting on something that is not officially even coming anytime soon! If it was Gamestop and others would be taking PreOrders. It's vapor ware until they show a real box with innards, real playable games, and announce a real date of release! Even after the PS3 comes out a year from now...you wont be seeing MGS or Devil May cry for another year after that. For those two games and the next Grand Theft Auto....Two years is allot of waiting. In the meantime you could be enjoying great games yesterday.

Good luck getting your hands on a PS3 at launch...will probably be just as scarce as the 360 for a while. Good luck with the drought of good games for the first 6 months to a year of the consoles release...these are the fruits of difficult development environment.
Good luck with a fledgling online service that may or may not exist and may or may not be ready by launch whenever that is. Goodluck with crappy controller design that well beyone aged.

Gotta go now...I've got to pick up my copy of Fight Night Round 3 for the PS3...oh wait...I mean 360.

[Todd Lokken @ Feb 21st 2006 11:31AM]

Another thought...what if this is all a marketing ploy--with the delay built in? Imagine the pent-up demand if the release gets pushed back until christmas. Any guesses on the price if that happens?

[Thill @ Feb 21st 2006 12:26PM]

#30

Interesting theory (marketing ploy), and might make sense that if Sony makes enough people think that the PS3 will be out "any day now" then they will not purchase a 360 until the can compare the two consoles.

The problem is that Sony is starting to look really bad because they are setting dates and then not really communicating what is happening. People (like me) get frustrated with that, throw our hands in the air, and buy the 360 anyway.

As for price, I think the PS3 will have to cost between around $450-499 to be competitive against the 360. At that price range, though, Sony will be losing a ton of money on each console sold for the first couple years so they better have some great games.

I sometimes wonder if this is not playing into Bill Gates hand. For the record, I am not a MS fanboy. I am a recent Apple OS X switcher, but if anybody thinks that Bill Gates is a fool than they are in for a rude awakening. You gotta believe that Bill is loving this situation (Ps3 delays, potential cost of the system). I would not put it past Bill to further lower the price of the 360 when the PS3 is released and force Sony into a price war they cannot win. Microsoft has tons of cash in the bank and Sony cannot afford to get into this battle with MS. Many other companies have tried this and lost (even when their product was superior)...

[Deezul @ Feb 21st 2006 1:11PM]

#11 - No, the REAL reason the 360 doesn't have HD-DVD is MS wanted to keep the cost down and get it out last year. DRM had NOTHING to do with it. In fact MS picked HD-DVD because the DRM allows the option to make copies, something Blu-Ray is still fighting with. It's one thing for people to say "Sony is Japanese, they always wait until right before launch." But the US is a bigger market for them than Japan, and folks in the US want DETAILS. MS got it right by showing GAME PLAY 6 months before launch. If Sony was going to have a Spring launch, do you REALLY BELIEVE that no game play demos would have leaked to the Internet? Please, everyone knew what the 360 was named/looked like weeks or months before the "official" annoucement on MTV.

[bleach @ Feb 21st 2006 2:04PM]

to Bubba (29)

You make no sense whatsoever. Yea we might have to wait a while until mgs 4 and dmc 4, but that does not there wont be any games for the ps3. also who is to say that the xbox 360 are any better? And who says that the ps2, gamcube, psp, Ds cannot tie gamers over until the ps3 is launched?

I guess i am not one who goes gaga over pretty colors and graphics on screen to run out and buy an xbox 360 and not have any games i want to play on it.

RIGHT NOW I rather wait on the rev and ps3.

[slayermayer @ Feb 21st 2006 2:06PM]

I just finished reading the article by CNN about the PS3's unconfirmed final specifications for both the blu-ray player as well as the input/output data. Doesn't look good for Sony right now, which I can't say that I'm surprised (read my earlier post).

Has anyone thought about this though...
Remember when the developers commented on the early concept of the Xbox 360, when it was running on two
G5 processors at E3 but yet developers were making their games for the assumed final product according to specs? Remember how long the developers had to tweak the games and bugs and how so many games ended up being delayed (Oblivion, DOA 4, GRAW, etc.)? What about the games that actually made launch? Many people complained about the quality of these games and how none were true killer apps...sounds like Sony is going to repeat history with their console. I don't plan on seeing Sony's box until 2007 for America.

[Skan @ Feb 21st 2006 3:25PM]

The reason people are willing to wait for the PS3 over the 360 is because the 360 hasn't given us any reason to pay $399 for a next-gen console yet. Especially when the majority of the 360 games are not original and are already playable on the current gen XBOX. PDZ is probably the only good original game on there. Some of the the 360 games are even better on the current gen XBOX than the 360 as well. Just look at Madden, the 360 version is horrible. King Kong, NFS-Most Wanted, Call of Duty 2 are all available for the current gen XBOX and they are almost just as good. There is no way you can say Call of Duty 2 for the 360 is $400 better than the current XBOX version. Sorry but why pay $400 when you can play the same game on the current gen XBOX which are just as good. The only 360 games that will bring a lot of people to switch will be Gears of War or Halo 3 so until then there is no need to rush out for a 360 because there is plenty of time. Also don't forget the fact that MS will be releasing an HD-DVD drive as a separate unit, hopefully they will bundle it together in one package. With out an HD-DVD drive you will need multiple DVD discs to play great games like Gears of War and Halo 3 so I doubt those games will even ship before an HD-DVD add on drive ships as well. In short your better of just waiting to see what all happens.

[Thill @ Feb 21st 2006 3:28PM]

If the PS3 is not released by Thanksgiving 06, Sony might as well just release it in Nov 07.. Why? Because there is no way the majority of buyers are going to wait until 2007 for the PS3 when they can have a 360 under the Christmas tree this year. I am not sure that Sony will be able to recover market share in North America if this happens... I also think this opens the door for Nintendo as well this holiday season. The Revolution may be huge in Japan if the PS3 is not around to compete..

[Thill @ Feb 21st 2006 3:37PM]

#35.. I completely disagree with you. I own an Xbox and a 360 (and have owned a PS2). There is no way that you can compare Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox to the 360 version if you are playing it on an HD television. The 360 version blows the Xbox version away anyday in HD. I actually unhooked my Xbox and am going to sell it because now that I have played games in HD, I am not going back to standard definition again...

Based on your comments I am not even sure you have seen a game in person for the 360, let alone played it on an HD TV...

[Skan @ Feb 21st 2006 5:18PM]

#37 Again like I said can you really say Call of Duty 2 for the 360 is $400 better than the Xbox version? I doubt that very much, and of course the 360 versions look better in HD that's the point of Nex-gen. My point is there is no rush to go and spend $400+ on a 360 when you can play the same games that are out right now on the current Xbox. Yes they are not HD but it's the same game, same story, same controls, same game play. They have yet to release an original and genuine MUST have next-gen title that will make everybody say "I have to have a 360!" Until an original knock out game like that comes out there is no rush to go get a 360 yet. I thought PDZ was going to be it but it fell short. By the way I have played the 360 in HD and yet while it is awesome, after a while you realize these are still the same games ive played before and it's nothing mind-blowing or different yet. It will soon get to that point but it definitely isn't right now. Like I said no rush, the 360 is still getting warmed up and the titles will be better by Fall. Also the biggest reason not to rush is you still don't know what they are going to do with the HD-DVD drive yet. You never know if they will release a version with the new drive built in or bundled together much cheaper than buying it as a separate unit.

[Thill @ Feb 21st 2006 5:56PM]

#38. I never said that Call of Duty 2 was $400 better, but it is definitely $10 better on the 360 than on the Xbox and PS2 (which is exactly the price difference between the 360 version and Xbox/PS2 version)...

I think you missed my point.. When I bought my 56" HD DLP TV, and hooked my Xbox up to it (it was previously hooked up to a 35" standard def TV) I could not believe how unimpressed I was with the graphics on such a large screen.. HD is so much more superior to standard def.. I constantly find myself watching shows on Discovery HD because it looks so much better than shows in standard def..

Let's say I did not buy the 360 (I paid $399 for it for the premium model) and kept my Xbox for the next 12 months. Let's say that I buy 12 games (one a month) for that console over the next year at $49 a piece. That comes to $588. To play the exact same games with much better graphics in HD (360) I will pay about $700 (at $59 a piece). Not that big of a price difference for vastly superior looking games. Plus, I do not have to go back and buy these games for the 360 if I bought it a year down the road.. To me, I am not investing $400 into a console for one game but potentially $400 into a console to buy and play about 15 games this year.. If you add the cost of the console into 15+ games it averages out to be about $75 per game.. To me it is worth it.. Now, if I did not have a HD TV, your point is very valid...

[Bubba @ Feb 22nd 2006 12:59AM]

No the point is not valid cause what do you expect...games are games...what major different experience are you looking for. Your gonna get a whole lotta the same when the PS3 comes out...which Is why I say...why wait. You don't need an HDTV, just purchase a VGA cable and there you go. HDTV on your computer monitor.

[Slayermayer @ Feb 22nd 2006 9:30AM]

Actually, according to Epic's game designers, the 12x DVD drive in the Xbox 360 is better for massive streaming game worlds (gears of war, GTA, Oblivion, etc.) because the transfer rate is so much faster and more efficient than the 1st generation blu-ray players that will show up in the PS3. You can find the information in the official Xbox magazine in the section about the HD-DVD drive.

Also, Sony has hinted that their games aren't going to be on Blu-ray for some time after launch due to the cost to developers and mass production of these discs. The first generation PS3 games are going to show up on the same DVD format that the current Xbox 360 games are.

On another note, you can't say that the 360 wasn't worth $400...when you can run Quake 4 better than a high dollar (even customized) PC, then I'd say the machine's worth $400. The only reason that they didn't launch the Xbox 360 with a killer app is because they didn't have to. They don't have any competition right now so why not just hold the killer apps back until the competition comes into the market? That way you can have your Gears of War, Halo 3, Mass effect, etc. face off with MGS 4? Think about it....

[Skan @ Feb 23rd 2006 11:39AM]

I just read an article in my Game Informer mag last night that shows Bill Gates as saying the new HD-DVD drive for the 360 will never be used for games nor will it be installed in any future versions of the 360. The article is in the newest Game Informer mag if you want to read it. I�m even more confused now, don't they need more space than the mere 8 or 9 GB they have on the current DVD game disks to fit all the new nex-gen bells and whistles?? How is the 360 going to compete in the Nex-gen if they are still limited to just 8GB of space?? I guess they can always release multiple discs but they should be taking a step forward and using the new HD-DVD format like everybody was expecting in the first place. Slayermayer even says that Sony will be using DVD discs at first but they will still be moving forward to releasing games in Blu-ray. Why doesn't Microsoft take the same approach? Why make an additional HD-DVD drive for the 360 if you�re not going to take advantage of it? How can you compete with a 360 "8GB DVD" game vs a PS3 "30GB Blu-ray" game?? This just doesn�t make sense for Gates to take this approach what do you guys think???

[Todd Lokken @ Feb 23rd 2006 12:00PM]

Let's go back a few months...was there this much confusion/speculation regarding the XBOX 360?

[Hernan @ Mar 8th 2006 12:05AM]

If we think God of War is awsome in PS2, wait till we see it in PS3.

[selcuk @ Mar 8th 2006 3:22PM]

when the ps3 is gonna b in spring 2006?? in CANADA??

[Dan @ Mar 16th 2006 3:53PM]

As far as the Blu-Ray vs DVD storage is is concerned, please read this article http://www.gamesfirst.com/index.php?id=1132
it amazes me at how much false hype Sony can generate about a format, but look at it this way the PS3 would have been out 3 months ago if it weren't for Sony putting Blu-Ray into the PS3...but now it won't be out for another 8 months....

[Nate the Prophet @ Mar 16th 2006 10:29PM]

2006 Tech Facts:
--Blu-Ray PLAYERS are out as of late March.
--Blu-Ray DRIVES in PCs are out as of May.
--Blu-Ray MOVIES are being released starting May 23rd.
--Blu-Ray DRIVES in the new "Mac Pro" will be out this summer.
Whether planned or not, this will generate higher demand for the PS3 w/Blu-Ray capability, even if the PS3 doesn't launch until the fall, however...

2006 Tech Predictions:
--Based on Sony's announced Blu-Ray movie release date of May 23rd, I would expect the PS3 to come out within a month--one side or the other--of that date.
--Blu-Ray format will INCREASE sales of the PS3 and the PS3 will do likewise for interest/sales for the Blu-Ray format, sealing the "winner" of the new HD format war.
--Since Sony just merged with NEC in production of optical drives, the Blu-Ray Group WILL be able to easily aquire the format rights for HD-DVD and merge the two formats together within 18 months. Whether they will "kill" HD-DVD or create new drives that play both formats depends upon the popularity of the HD-DVD format, but given that Microsoft has announced that we will not see HD-DVD drives in the XBOX 360, it's likely that HD-DVD will not take off.
--All in all, the "delay" of the PS3 realease will ultimately insure Sony's victory on multiple fronts, so whether it is viewed as "unethical marketing" or not, the ends will justify the means.
So saith Nate.